Don't understand all the media (and some posters) negativity about Bell in the 2nd

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Don't understand all the media (and some posters) negativity about Bell in the 2nd

I've now seen about 5 or 6 different sites commenting that Bell in the second was too early -- he should have lasted until the third, possibly the fourth round. Then they go on to mention Wheaton had a second round grade and Thomas had a third round grade.

So with picks 2, 3, and 4, they got three guys projected in rounds 2, 3, and 4. Other than who gets which salary, does it really matter which one was picked where? Isn't the lack of perceived value in Bell balanced by getting the other two later than projected?

I've now seen about 5 or 6 different sites commenting that Bell in the second was too early -- he should have lasted until the third, possibly the fourth round. Then they go on to mention Wheaton had a second round grade and Thomas had a third round grade.

So with picks 2, 3, and 4, they got three guys projected in rounds 2, 3, and 4. Other than who gets which salary, does it really matter which one was picked where? Isn't the lack of perceived value in Bell balanced by getting the other two later than projected?

Of course it doesn't matter, evidently, Lacey's toe injury scared them away, so they went to their second rated back and took him, maybe early, maybe not, the Steelers' football people liked and they drafted him. There's no pleasing some, it's like refereeing a game, at least 50% of the fans are going to hate the calls you make.

I have been amused by the same discussion. It seems where a player is taken is held with almost the same importance as their overall talent level and production. I recall Heath Miller labeled a steal in the 1st rd! but what if the Steelers traded up 5 spots to grab him, would it still be so?.... so it's not only which round a player is taken, it is also which part of the round as well.
It might be fun to regrade a few of the past drafts to see how this look in hindsight; did we get a steal in Ike Taylor in Rd. 4 in 2003? Was Troy worth trading up for in the same draft? Was Alonzo Jackson one of the worst 2nd round reaches in Steelers history? What were the Steelers thinking in drafting Bruce Davis in the 3rd round?

It's just a quick gut reaction because we're all tracking the draft, trying to determine who we want, imagining we know what we're talking about, etc. I kinda like people's instant reaction to things. It tells you how people really feel. That's a good thing imho. And eventually we move toward accepting things as they are. And most will be content with the pick until proven otherwise.

Look at it this way. The NFL is evolving into a passing league where the O is at a major advantage over D. There's becoming more value in small quick WRs that can get YAC and run in space. Same with RBs. There's more emphasis on them as pass catchers. More emphasis on speed and open field running. And Gio from UNC is the first back taken. He kinda makes sense in this new era of the NFL. We kinda know what Haley did in KC with his backs so it is a little shocking when the Steelers buck the trend and go get an Eddie George clone.

The best backs in this era are guys like Foster, Rice, etc. Bell goes counter to the trend. And you have to wonder, are the Steelers stuck in an old way of doing things? Maybe? And maybe it's a good thing too.

My first gut reaction was, meh, for Bell. But after thinking more about it, teams aren't built to stop the run any longer because this is a passing league. So we get an advantage there. Then with his size, teams are gonna have to stack the box with 8-9 guys if we're really gonna turn him into a 20-30 carry a game back. Then that opens up PA for Ben. And then look out. All of a sudden, we can get rid of the ball to guys like Brown, Sanders, Wheaton who are gonna have lot of open space to run in to make plays.

And then consider, Haley just doesn't seem to have a system. He really does seem to just work with whatever the best talent he can get is. AZ, KC, Pit are all gonna look like majorly different systems. And when you start thinking about the possibilities it's easy to get excited. And then to a degree, getting excited is about as silly as being negative.

So we might as well live in the moment. Roll with water comes down the line. And enjoy the team. But sometimes the scenarios we make up in our heads make it even more fun sometimes

did those people not notice the run on RBs at the end of the 2nd round when Montee Ball, Eddie Lacy and Christine Michael were chosen within five picks of each other?

Le'Veon Bell would have never made it out of the 2nd round...

I thought the same thing, Bell was the RB they wanted and thought if they didn't take him then he would be gone. I have no problem with the pick at all especially since we needed an upgrade at the position to help our offense.
We got a damn good RB that can do more than just run the ball, lets be glad.